Spondias mombin

The ambarella is a large tree up to 18 m (60 ft.) in height. The yellow mombin is a medium tree up to 15 m (50 ft.) in height. The red mombin is a small tree up to 8 m (25 ft.) in height. All have an open spreading canopy, with stout, stiff branches and weak, brittle wood.Borne in clusters of 3-20 or more in ambarella and yellow mombin, singly or in clusters of 2-3 in. in red mombin. Fruit length is 5-7½ cm (2-3 in.) in ambarella, 2½-5 cm (1-2 in.) in yellow mombin and red mombin. Fruit is globular to ovoid. Fruit of some selections of red mombin is very irregular in shape. Fruit is a drupe with a tough skin, edible yellow pulp of varying thickness, and a single large seed. Seeds are difficult to separate from the pulp and often have strong woody fibers projecting into the pulp. External color of the fruit is yellow in ambarella and yellow mombin and yellow, red or purple in red mombin. CLIMATE AND SOILS The Spondias species are best adapted to the hot, lowland tropics, although the red mombin may be found up to an elevation of around 1800 m (6000 ft.). They will grow in warm subtropical areas where no frost occurs, or which experience only occasional light frosts. Cultivation in Florida is limited to the warm southern coastal areas. The trees grow best in fertile, well-drained soils but can be grown satisfactorily in a variety of poorer soils if they are given adequate nutrition. Spondias mombin L., Yellow mombin, hog plum, jobo, This is a strictly tropical tree, not growing above an elevation of 3,200 ft (1,000 m) in South America. It is well-adapted to arid as well as humid zones.